Wireless signaling system.



W. HARRISON.

WIRELESS SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION nuao JAN. 6. 1905.

1,196,949. Patented Sept. 5,1916.

witnesses Ejvwewtoz yaw/71W I WALTON HARRISON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WIRELESS SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed January 6, 1905. Serial No. 239,918.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WALTON HARRISON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, (borough of Brooklyn), in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Wireless Signalin System, of which the following is a full, 0 ear, and'exact description.

My invention relates to signaling through space without wires, and comprises more particularly a transmitter adapted for transmitting articulate speech and other sounds by means of Hertzian waves.

My invention may be carried out by Various methods and by many distinct forms of apparatus all involving the same general principles.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which like letters indicate like parts, the figure (partly a side elevation and partly a diagram) showing one form of my improved transmitter.

A vibratory diaphragm 1, made of pig skin, drum parchment, sheet mica, soft rubber or the like, is mounted upon a hollow member 2 so as to serve as a wall therefor. A mouthpiece 3 surmounts the diaphragm vand is used for concentrating sounds thereupon. A pedestal 4 sustains the hollow member, diaphragm and mouthpiece, which together constitute a manometer. A support 5 is'provided with a ring 6, adjustable relatively thereto, and upon this ring rests a boiler 7 connected by a tube 8 with the manometer. Another tube 9 extends from the latter to a nozzle 10 of glass or other insulating material, adj ustably engaged by a clamp 11. The boiler 7 is partially filled with some volatile liquid, the vapor of which is capable of affecting the resistance of a spark gap. The liquid I preferably employ is water,which of course upon being heated forms aqueous vapor, but various other volatile. liquids may be used. When the diaphragm 1 is caused to vibrate, the vapor issuing from the nozzle 10 has a constantly varying density which has characterictics analogous to the amplitude and frequency of the motions of the diaphragm.

A pair of knobs 13 are separated by a spark gap which is disposed within the path of the vapor jet 14. .The knobs are connected with condensers 16, and through these co densers are connected by wires 17 with a primary winding 18, which acts inductively upona secondary winding 19, the latter bemg connected with an aerial 20, which is grounded at 21. The knobs and their connections above mentioned are energized by a secondary winding 22, which is acted upon inductively by a primary winding 23, the latter being directly connected with an alternat mg generator 24 of high frequency-one giving, if possible, several thousand alternations per second. The mechanism from the knobs to the aerial and its ground are substantially similar to analogous mechanism comprising the oscillator used in wireless telegraphy, except that in my oscillator the frequency of the alternating generator is higher than usual, and that the sparking is continuous, owing to the absence of a telegraphic key.

Although I preferably employ an alter-- nating dynamo to furnish the primary currents, and prefer to step up the potential inductively, I reserve the right to employ any equivalent means for generating sparks of high frequency between the .knobs.

While I show, and preferably use, a transmitter in which the sparks are oscillatory and the oscillations are of great persistency, I do not limit myself to this arrangement.

The operation is as follows :The several parts being properly adjusted, the lamp is lighted, steam is raised in the boiler 7, and the dynamo 24 is speeded up to a suitable degree. The operator now talks into, 01'

plays a musical. instrument adjacent to, the

mouthpiece 1. The diaphragm vibrates, varies the resistance of the manometric vapor jet 14, and alters the relative power of the electromagnetic waves thrown off by the aerial circuit of the transmitting station. These waves normally. when the apparatus is in a state of rest, have a definite mean strength, for the reason that the stream of vapor is now unvarying; but when the diaphragm 1 is actuated by sounds, the density of the manometric vapor jet is changed with each vibration, and the power of the waves is varied accordingly; Moreover, the frequency of the vibrations of the diaphragm 1 controls numerically the frequency with which the resistance of the spark gap is changed, and the amplitude of movement of this diaphragm controls quantitatively the degree of resistance offered by the spark gap. The result is that the electro-magnetic waves, or rather the wave trains or crashes (as the case maybe) are impressed with arbitrary characteristics analogous to the frequency and amplitude of the diaphagm 1, yet independent of the frequency and amplitude of the waves themselves. The Wave trains or crashes, as the case may be, leave the transmitting station impressed With characteristics analogous to sound waves, and at the receiving station the sounds are reproduced in the manner well known in this art.

It will be noted that as the manometer is located at a little distance from the static discharge, it is not affected by sounds produced by the latter. Besides, the diaphragm is protected by the mouthpiece and casing of the manometer from direct exposure to these sounds. It will also be noted that as the air normally occupying the spark gap is a dielectric, and as the medium directed toward the spark gap is also a dielectric but of different conductivity, the static discharge occurs in a dielectric having variations, analogous to sound waves, impressed upon it by the voice-controlled mechanism, and these variations are quantitative and in turn impress the. Hertzian waves quantitatively upon the ether per meating space. Moreover the manometer, because of its nature and its location, is not subject to any sort of reactionary eifect produced by the oscillator. The latter handles powerful surgings or currents, but they can not react. inductively or otherwise, upon the manometer so as to interfere with its action.

While I employ a voice-controlled manometer as a convenient means for varying the conductivity of the spark gap, it is obvious that other means may be employed for this purpose without departing from the spirit of my invention.

A comparatively small quantity of vapor suffices to produce a considerable effect upon the spark gap and consequently upon the Hertzian waves. A trace of aqueous vapor, invisible to the eye, produces a noticeable effect, and if the manometer be removed and the human breath be blown violently upon the spark gap, the oscillator almost ceases for a moment to throw 0E waves.

The motion of the vapor is useful in scavenging the spark gap. That is to say, the ionizing action of the static discharge, in continually breaking down the air gap, causes the liberation of ozone, various nitrogen compounds and dissociated gases, and these aeriform bodies injuriously afiect the dielectric properties of the spark gap. The vapor continually removes them, thus maintaining a spark of exceptional clearness, but of varying color and brilliance, and of a messes high degree of efiiciency, impaired only by the voice-controlled variations, analogous to sound waves, in the vapor sup lied by the manometer. The vapor there ore performs the double oflice of varyin the conductivity of the spark gap and o scavengingqthe latter continuously.

aving thus described my invention, what ll claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as ,follows:

1."The combination of an oscillator provided with a gap across which electrlcity flows, and sound-controlled mechanism for directing into said gap a medium capable of affecting the resistance of said gap while said oscillator is in action.

2. The combination of an oscillation circuit provided with a gap across which electricity flows, and means controllable by sound waves for throwing into said gap varying quantities of a non-flaming vapor capable of affecting the condition of said gap.

3. The combination of an oscillation circuit provided with a gap across which electricity flows, a sound-controlled manometer for producing in the condition of said gap variations analogous to sound waves, and means connected with said manometer for supplying thereto a non-flaming body.

4. The combination of an oscillation circuit provided with a gap .across which electricity flows, a manometer provided with a nozzle having a very small orifice directed toward said gap, and means for supplying to said manometer a non-inflammable aeriform body capable of afi'ecting said circuit.

5. The combination of an oscillator provided with mechanism for producing damped oscillations, said mechanism including a gap across which a disruptive discharge flows, andv means acting conjointly with sound waves for varying the condition of said gap by direct actionthereupon.

6. The combination of an oscillator provided with mechanism for producing damped oscillations, said mechanism including a gap across which a disruptive discharge flows, and means acting conjointly with sound waves for varyingthe resistance of said gap independently of any variations in the resistance of said gap caused by said electricity crossing said ap.

7. The combination 0% an oscillator provided with a gap across which electricity flows, and means controllable by sound waves for varying the condition of said gap independently of variations produced in the condition of said gap by the flow of varying quantities of electricity across said gap.

8. The combination of an oscillator provided with mechanism for producing damped oscillations said mechanism including a gap across which static discharges of high frequency take place, and means acting conjointly with sound waves for vary-' ing the resistance of said gap independently of'any effect of said discharges upon said gap.

9. The combination of an oscillator provided with mechanism for producing damped oscillations, said mechanism including' a gap across which, alternating discharges of high frequency take place, and means acting conjointly with sound waves for varying the condition of said-gap independently of variations produced in the condition of said gap by said discharges of high frequency.

10. A'wireless telephone transmitter, comprising an oscillator having mechanism for producing damped oscillations, said mechanism including a gap across which electricity flows in alternate directions, and means acting conjointly with sound waves for disturbing said gap independently of the action of said electricity upon said gap.

11. The combination of an oscillator provided with a gap and with means for causing static discharges across said gap, and means controllable by sound waves for varying the quantity of a medium supplied to said gapand adapted to be ionized by said static discharges.

12. The combination of an oscillator provided with a gap across which 810013110116 flows, and means for the joint purpose of scavenging said gap and impressing upon said gap quantitative variations analogous to sound waves.

13. The combination of an oscillator rovided with a gap across which electricity flows, and means controllable by sound waves for scavenging said gap without interrupting the flow of said electricity across said gap.

14. The combination of a circuit including a condenser and a gap across which flows electricity controllable by said condenser, and means controllable by sound Wavesfor varying the quantity of a medium supplied to said gap and adapted to be ionized by the flow of electricity across said gap.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. Y

WALTON HARRISON.

Witnesses:

EDWARD THORPE, C. R. FERGUSON. 

